Saturday 19th September 2009 - U's 2-0 Wrexham: Woe Deano
Bobby Charlton wasn't very good. Bobby Moore had a distinct lack of success. And George Best didn't even bother trying, because he probably knew he would be hopeless at it.
It is a general rule of thumb that, with the odd exception, the better a player someone was, the less likely they are to succeed as a manager. Ask an Argentine. Or someone from the Wirral. Dean Saunders was not exactly an all-time great as a player, but he was a decent striker who enjoyed many seasons at the top level as well as regular international football, albeit not in any actual finals stages on account of being Welsh.
He is still involved with the international scene now, but his day job is as manager of Wrexham, charged with taking them back into the Football League after 87 years at that level came to an end the season before last. And the general opinion of that club's expectant fans seems to be that, at the moment, his efforts are about as impressive as Emmanuel Adebayor's disciplinary record.
Last Saturday a supporter hopped over the barriers to make rude gestures from the side of the pitch, resulting in a banning order and a report to the FA from the referee, and on Wednesday there was an 'unpleasant incident' involving an angry fan at a reserve match which resulted in him coming forward and meeting Saunders for a 'long discussion'. The natives are restless.
Their multi-national 26-man squad has made a mediocre start to the season, failing to score in its last two games, and they introduced two debutants today in Cypriot Angelos Tsiaklis and, on the bench, Senegalese international Lamine Sakho. The team, playing a 3-5-2 wing-back system, sported giants at either end of the pitch in 36-year-old journeyman striker Gareth Taylor and pony-tailed French centre-back Mansour Assoumani, with long socks pulled over his knees and 'Mani' on the back of his shirt, not presumably in tribute to the legendary Stone Roses/Primal Scream bassist. Former U's loanee Christian 'Brick Wall' Smith was on the bench.
United, on a run of five clean sheets in six, named the same starting line-up for the seventh game in a row on a remarkably warm, humid afternoon, at an Abbey dotted with spectators in shirtsleeves and shorts in late September. You see, global warming isn't all bad.
The hosts made a positive start, Chris Holroyd sending Andy Parkinson away to force a corner inside the first minute, but Robbie Willmott's flag-kick was nodded away by Wrexham's experienced skipper Ashley Westwood. The visitors responded with a Mark Jones shot clutched by Danny Potter on 3 and a diving header just over from Nathan Fairhurst a couple of minutes later.
Back came United with a powerful Danny Crow shot which was slowed down by the blocking Curtis Obeng and bounced through to keeper Chris Maxwell, and they began to knock it around well, making good use of the flanks and the pace of their front men. And they were rewarded on 9.
Holroyd made to skip round the beanpole Assoumani, who brought him down at the cost of a yellow card and a free-kick a few yards outside the box. Willmott, Jai Reason and Wayne Hatswell all stood ready to try their luck, but it was the latter who stepped up to place a clever shot low past the wall which crept in at the far post. 1-0.
A couple of minutes later a superb low, curling cross into the box by Anthony Tonkin found Holroyd darting in, but he scuffed his shot under pressure and Maxwell dived low to smother. First home booking came on 14 when Willmott was belatedly penalised for running deliberately into Assoumani, a silly incident which he needs to remove from his game.
Adrian Cieslewicz sneaked in at the far post a minute later and although he hit his shot into the ground, it bounced up nastily and needed an excellent save from Potter to tip it over the bar. And Wrexham's best chance came on 21 when Gareth Taylor rose to meet Neil Taylor's cross and, with the whole goal at his mercy, somehow nodded wide.
But it was United who were in the ascendant. Their use of their wide men meant that the visitors' wing-backs were being kept too busy to get forward, leaving them a man short in midfield, three against four, and unable to get the ball forward to their strikers. And Paul Carden was everywhere, latching onto every loose ball, winning tackles and spraying it accurately all over the park, with his strikers and wingers looking impressively mobile and always available for a decent through ball.
The U's gained a free-kick very close to the spot from which they had scored on 25 when Jones brought down Reason. This time it was Willmott who took it, and his tremendous drive soared over the wall and was heading for the corner until Maxwell dived across to tip it round the post. Willmott took the flag-kick and found the head of Hatswell, but his goalbound nod lacked the power to beat the gloves of the keeper.
Still United continued to probe and push a harassed Wrexham, Holroyd just offside twice then Willmott outrageously flagged when his run had clearly started from at least two yards onside. Just after the half hour Crow was fouled by Neil Taylor and Willmott's free-kick this time found Dan Gleeson, and his header was again accurate but underpowered and caught by Maxwell.
More pressure followed, Willmott's short corner to Gleeson delivered into the box for Holroyd, whose header was blocked behind, and the second flag-kick found Brian Saah rising like an oil gusher at the far post to beat Maxwell to the ball but nod agonisingly wide.
Westwood was next into the book on 41 for a crude clattering of Holroyd, although the ref only got his card out when the Welshmen's captain reacted more petulantly and pointlessly than Violet Elizabeth Bott. There was a scare when Holroyd went down under a challenge from Mike Williams and required some TLC from Greg Reid, but he was soon back up and running. Then the whistle sounded on a magnificent first half performance from United, which had merited more than a one-goal lead.
The only nagging doubts for the amber army were whether their heroes could keep up the standard in the second half, and whether Wrexham could allow themselves to be quite so comprehensively outplayed again.
To their credit, the visitors fought back well in the early stages of part two as United struggled to find the same high gear into which they had slipped so easily before. Wrexham peppered the U's goal with early shots, Gareth Taylor dragging one narrowly wide on 47, Gleeson blocking a Neil Taylor effort, then Tsiaklis firing wide twice in three minutes.
United's first decent attack of the half was a pacy breakaway on 55, Carden sending Willmott away who found Crow, but he was crowded out at the expense of a corner. The visitors changed personnel and tactics just before the hour, introducing Lakho wide left for Mike Williams and going to 4-4-2 to mirror the hosts' formation. Williams' namesake, Marc, entered the fray on 64 for Tsiaklis.
Sakho proved to be a dangerous presence and on 67 Potter cleared an Obeng cross to the edge of a crowded box, Sakho fired goalward and just as a deflection off Hatswell looked like taking it in, Gleeson cleared calmly off the line. Potter held Jones' shot from the ensuing corner, and on the counter Reason's through ball set up Willmott for a run and shot into the side netting when a cross to his strikers might have been more appropriate.
The contest was now finely balanced, with Wrexham much improved and United still not quite reaching the heights of the first half. Saunders made his third change on 73, Wes Baynes replacing Cieslewicz, and the anxious amber army began to urge Martin Ling to introduce some fresh legs and fresh ideas as the hosts' back four held firm.
United's best opportunity of the half came within a minute as Willmott's corner was half-cleared to Gleeson and his cross found Hatswell, but his bouncing volley had the direction but not the pace to beat Maxwell. Gareth Taylor was next into the book on 77 for a lunge at Potter when he had already been flagged offside, and the U's number one needed treatment before he could continue.
Sam Ives and Courtney Pitt got stripped and were about to be introduced when United doubled their lead on 81. Crow sent Willmott away down the left, he cut inside and fired low into goal at the near post with the help of a deflection. 2-0.
Ives and Pitt immediately sat down again and re-donned their training tops, Ling eventually making his changes five minutes later. Wrexham had not responded to the second goal and looked disjointed, a team of strangers not communicating with each other, and the match seemed won when Pitt and Mark Beesley (not Ives) replaced Willmott and Crow. Both subs looked fresh and positive and Pitt set up Beesley for a clear shot at goal on 89, but his shot was blocked by Neil Taylor.
Beesley tried his luck again in added time, finding only the keeper's midriff, then it was all over and a thoroughly deserved three points were in the bag for United. The first half in particular had been exceptional and could only have impressed the watching representatives from York and Luton, whose match today was postponed but make up United's next two opponents. On this display, with a rock-solid and miserly defence, lively midfield and tireless strikers, the U's have nothing to fear from anyone. Unlike Thailand, who have just agreed to appoint Bryan Robson as their national team manager. It'll all end in tears...
Statto Corner
United have now fielded the same starting line-up for seven consecutive matches, the longest unchanged run since 1991. The team which lost narrowly at Arsenal in the FA Cup quarter-final that year was starting its eighth match together in a row: Vaughan, Fensome, Kimble, Leadbitter, Chapple, O'Shea, Cheetham, Wilkins, Dublin, Taylor, Philpott. In fact, the team was only one different from that which played the seven games before that, too, with Colin Bailie in for Chris Leadbitter. And that team, quite possibly the greatest in United's history, lost only the last two of those fifteen games. Happy days.
Wayne Hatswell's eighth league goal makes him the joint eighth highest scoring defender for United since 1970, alongside tough-tackling Seventies right-back John O'Donnell. Ahead of him are Steve Fallon (27), Alan Kimble (24), 'Wolfie' Smith (23), Phil Chapple (19), Mick Heathcote (13), Dave Lyon (11) and Andy Duncan (9); and some of those names were afforded the luxury of being designated penalty taker or a spell up front or in midfield.
Hatswell's back four has now kept four consecutive clean sheets, equalling a feat last achieved in September/October last year. United last enjoyed five shutouts in a row in league matches way back in February/March 1987, although they kept the opposition scoresheet blank on six consecutive occasions in December 1990/January 1991 in a run of four league games and two FA Cup ties, against Wolves and Middlesbrough.
United and Wrexham have now met 39 times since they first met in March 1974, playing each other twice in five days and both winning their home match 2-1. In all the U's have won 14 times and the Welshmen 17. Remarkably, United have never beaten them by more than two goals, recording three previous 2-0 victories in September 2008 (both by Mark Beesley), March 1989 (John Taylor and John Beck) and November 1979 (George Reilly and Alan Biley).
By gruesome contrast Wrexham have triumphed 3-0 (March 1988), 4-1 (October 1977), 6-2 (October 1985), and in United's last two Football League visits to the Racecourse Ground in 2002 and 2003, they left after a couple of nightmarish 5-0 beatings. It's a long way back from North Wales...
Dean Saunders faced the U's four times during his playing career. In the 1984-85 season he played for Swansea in their 2-0 win at the Abbey and a 2-2 draw in the return, then in 1989 he was at Derby County for their League Cup tie, when he helped them overturn a shock 2-1 defeat at the Abbey by scoring a hat-trick in the second leg in a 5-0 win for a club from three divisions higher than the lowly U's. Paul Goddard and Ted McMinn notched the other two.
Player Ratings
Potter 8. Withstood some powerful aerial pressure in the second half with aplomb.
Gleeson 8. Most impressive, and made a vital goal-line clearance at 1-0.
Tonkin 8. There cannot be a better left-back in this league.
Saah 8. More comforting than a giant comfort blanket.
Hatswell 9. Back to his best in as good as a United back four as anyone can remember.
Parkinson 7. Busy and industrious without doing anything remarkable. Tends to stand off too deep when covering back and allows the opposition to cross too easily.
Carden 9. Inspirational skipper.
Reason 7. Still searching doggedly for last year's best form.
Willmott 7. Capable of better, but a decent contribution. Set pieces were the highlight.
Crow 8. Immensely hard-working and made an important contribution to the team, albeit more goals would be nice.
Holroyd 8. Constant menace to the Wrexham defence, could perhaps do with shooting earlier on occasion.
Beesley 7. Slotted in well, spurned a good chance to seal it.
Pitt 7. Impressively twinkle-toed cameo.
Match Summary
United produced their most impressive 45 minutes of the season in a first half stuffed with incisive passing, fine attacking football and rock-solid defending. They let it slip a little in part two, but comfortably sealed a convincing win over a very ordinary Wrexham side.
Man of the Match
Paul Carden. The foundation on which everything good about United's performance was based, his tackling was tigerish and his passing immaculate. Look and learn, youngsters.
Ref Watch
Kinseley 6. A trifle schoolmasterish in his rather officious way, but rarely to the game's detriment.
Out of the Mouths of Babes
"I thought Cambridge played very well, though I thought they may have sore heads after heading the ball so often. I also saw the ball hitting people in the stands. I was very pleased because Cambridge won 2-0." (Paul Brown)
Soundtrack of the Day
The Sound of Arrows 'M.A.G.I.C.'
Andrew Bennett
Andrew's previous match reports
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